ABSTRACT
The pharmaceutical industry is conservative in its approach to formulation, use of new equipment, and new materials, and this is largely due to the time-consuming process of registering products and their packs. However, it is claimed that even in the ethical market an innovative pack can increase sales. However, total pack safety, i.e. tamper proof, child resistant containers, sterility, and the development of original pack dispensing has meant large investments in new types of equipment and technologies to operate them. Some examples are:
• bar codes tracking • radio frequency tagging • machine vision • laser printers • robotics • automated guided vehicles (AGVs) • linear transfer vehicles • process control and monitoring systems • material control and reporting systems • batch documentation. This is not an exhaustive list, but it gives some indication of the new technologies that have to be considered.
